WASHINGTON – Michael Jordan offered his unflinching thoughts on National Basketball Association (NBA) players taking games off for “load management” in his latest appearance on NBC’s coverage of the league on Oct 28.
Jordan, appearing for the second time on the “Insights to Excellence” segment, aired after the Milwaukee Bucks-New York Knicks broadcast, said he is not buying the need for players to rest for the sake of rest.
“It shouldn’t be needed, first and foremost,” Jordan said. “You know, I never wanted to miss a game because it was an opportunity to prove – it was something that I felt like, you know, the fans are there that watch me play.
“I want to impress that guy way up on top who probably worked his ass off to get a ticket or to get money to buy the ticket.”
Jordan played 70-plus games in nearly every season of his career. The only exceptions were his second professional season, when he suffered a broken foot and was held out longer than he wanted as a precaution, and in 1995, when he tried his hand at retirement.
At the height of his popularity, Jordan and the Bulls were a travelling circus and a virtually impossible ticket at home and on the road.
“You have a duty that if they’re wanting to see you and as an entertainer, I want to show, right?” Jordan said. “So if the guys are coming to watch me play, I don’t want to miss that opportunity.
“Physically, if I can’t do it, then I can’t do it. But physically, if I can do it and I just don’t feel like doing it, that’s a whole different lens.”
Jordan was visibly perturbed discussing other players sitting out during the recording of the documentary The Last Dance, a Netflix production that captured the final seasons of the Bulls’ dynasty.
Kobe Bryant, the late Lakers star, shared a similar position on “load management.” He played through injuries and told teammates to rest on days when the team is not scheduled to play because “it’s your job to perform.”
However, Golden State Warriors coach Steve Kerr believes “we are asking way too much of our players” adding “the game has never been more difficult to play at a high level”.
Kerr, Jordan’s former teammate in Chicago, did not miss a game for four seasons between 1993 and 1997.
He said previously: “Back then, you played the game at a very small circumference. Now, it’s a big, wide circle, and you have to cover the entire court. Everyone is playing faster. The numbers do show that our players and the NBA are covering way more ground than they were 15, 20 years ago.”
Meanwhile, in on-court action on Oct 28, Jimmy Butler put up a game-high 21 points without shooting a free throw as Kerr’s Warriors, holding James Harden scoreless in the second half, blitzed the Los Angeles Clippers 98-79 in San Francisco.
Elsewhere, the reigning NBA champions, the Oklahoma City Thunder, fuelled by 31 points from Shai Gilgeous-Alexander rallied to beat the Sacramento Kings 107-101 to improve to 5-0 in the young season.
The Philadelphia 76ers also remained unbeaten, erasing a double-digit deficit to improve to 4-0 with a thrilling 139-134 overtime victory over the Wizards in Washington.
In Milwaukee, Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 37 points with eight rebounds and seven assists as the Bucks erased a 12-point half-time deficit to beat the New York Knicks 121-111.
In Miami, Jaime Jaquez Jr scored a season-high 28 points off the bench, leading the Heat to a 144-117 win over the visiting Charlotte Hornets. REUTERS, AFP
NBABasketball playersChicago BullsKobe BryantGolden State Warriors